Next
by DarkAngel0410
Summary: Sequel to 'Jump Start'. Roddy gets what he was looking for. Slash, AU
1. Chapter 1

**Story Title:** Next, Part 1

**Story Type: **Slash, AU

**Characters: **Chris Sabin, Alex Shelley, Roderick Strong, Evan Bourne

**Pairings: **MMG, Roddy/Evvy

**Rating: **PG-13/NC-17

**Series: **Neko: Just Them, Don't Touch, I Agree, You, 5 and 1-Neko, For You, Never Again, Jump Start

**Disclaimer: **I fucken wish I owned these guys. I mean, _that_ would be a good time. Unfortunately, they belong to themselves and TNA/ROH/WWE.

**Warnings: **Slash, language

**A/N: **So, here we are. Another new neko story. I'm writing so much more of these then I had ever planned on, lol. When I wrote 'Just Them', it was just supposed to be a quick little one shot to help me get the image of neko!Shelley out of my perverted brain. Almost nine stories later and he's still stuck in there, and now he's dragged neko!Evvy along for company. Now, I've given up trying to predict how many of these there will be, and just decided to enjoy it as it comes. Enjoy, peeps.

Roddy hesitated when Lily asked him what color collar he wanted for Evan.

He walked over to the cage where Evan was watching curiously.

"Hey, Evan," Rod said, pausing nervously for a minute. "Um, do you want to pick out your collar?"

"My collar," Evan repeated, touching a hand to his throat. All the times he'd been bought and sold -five times now- none of his other owners had ever asked him that.

"Yes," he decided, grinning. His face fell a second later. "But I can't see any of them from here."

Roddy turned to the sales girl and smiled charmingly. "Is there any way he can get out of the cage? I mean, we'll be leaving with him soon, so there's no real harm, is there?"

Lily smiled back at him and walked over with a key in her hand. "Well, technically, it is against the rules, but he's never been a problem before. Isn't that right?" The last word was almost a purr, the words dripping with honey.

It made Roddy raise an eyebrow and Alex caught the way the other neko flinched away from her hand when she opened the cage door and tried to help him out. Chris's eyes narrowed and he exchanged a long look with Roddy, putting his hand back on Alex's lower back to help steady him.

Once Evan was out of the cage, he walked over until he was next to Rod, his tail lashing in aggravation. Rod smiled down at him reassuringly, putting a hand on the neko's shoulder. Evan blinked up at him and then relaxed a little.

"Come on," Roddy said, leading Evan over to the counter, making sure he kept him on his side away from Lily as they walked over.

Evan paused, his ears twitching as he glanced around the room before going to the counter with Roddy. As they walked past Roddy's friends, Evan glanced at them curiously; especially the neko. The other neko's owner leaned closer and whispered something in his ear, that made him roll his eyes and smirk, but Evan could see the affection and love between them and it made his chest ache.

He looked at the collars on display, biting his bottom lip worriedly. Evan glanced up at Roddy and then back down again.

"What's wrong?" Rod murmured, putting his hand on the back of Evan's neck.

"I really like the dark red one," Evan confessed, his voice low. "But I think it's more expensive then the other ones are."

Roddy smiled a little, rubbing the neko's neck briefly before moving his hand. "That's alright," he assured him. "Your collar's included in the buying price, and even if it wasn't, a couple extra dollars isn't a big deal."

Almost twenty minutes later, Evan was smiling broadly, happily running his fingers over the new collar around his throat.

"Have a nice day," Lily told them, smiling sweetly. She eyed Chris and Alex speculatively before licking her lips. "And, sweetie, let me know if you ever want to get rid of that neko. I'm sure I could get you a good price for him."

Alex blanched, his ears flattening as a low growl left his throat, his tail lashing in agitation. Immediately, Chris's hand was on his back, rubbing in small circles. He looked at the sales girl in disgust, his lip pulled back from his teeth threateningly.

"Roddy, do you have all your paperwork?" Chris asked, his eyes never leaving the sales lady's.

"Yeah, I got it," Rod answered, his own disgust obvious. After giving Lily one last glare, he led Evan away from the counter as Chris told her off in a harsh voice, his words leaving no doubt that he meant what he was saying.

There was no mistaking the venom in his voice but the hand on Alex's back stayed even and gentle and Evan's eyes were drawn there.

"Alex -or any other neko, for that matter- is not a damn pet for you, or a toy to amuse yourself with. How would you like it if I went and asked your boyfriend to sell you to me? Or if I just fucken used you however the hell I wanted?"

"He's lucky," Evan murmured without thinking. "To belong to someone who cares for him so much."

Roddy looked at him curiously, but all he said was: "They belong to each other."

A few minutes later, Chris and Alex joined them, completely ignoring the crying woman at the counter.

"Ready?" Chris asked, his voice pleasant but there was a gleam in his eye that made Roddy shake his head.

"Yeah, let's go," Roddy answered, leading the way out the door. "Chris, Alex, this is Evan. Evan, these are my friends Chris and Alex."

"Hello," Evan said cheerfully, a wide grin splitting his face. "It's nice to meet you."

"You, too," Alex murmured, wrapping his tail around Chris's leg. He could disassemble with the best of them, but the truth was that he wanted to get as far away from here as possible.

"So, Ev, you feel up to lunch?" Chris asked, throwing an arm around Alex's shoulders and placing a quick kiss on his hair. Enough to let him know that he knew Alex was upset but not enough to embarrass him in front of other people.

"My treat," he added as they started walking down the street.

Evan looked up at Roddy nervously but when Rod just smiled and nodded, Evan broke out into another grin. "Sure, sounds fun."

"Mickey D's?" Alex asked hopefully, his ears twitching slightly.

Chris rolled his eyes even as Roddy snickered. "Sure; as long as Evan doesn't mind."

Evan blinked as three sets of eyes focused on him. "Um, I've never been. But it sounds OK to me."

Roddy looked at him incredulously. "You've never been to McDonald's?"

Evan shrugged. "No one usually wants to take us out in public. You know how it is," Evan said to Alex, both of them sharing a look of understanding.

"Alright, then," Chris said after exchanging a long look with Roddy, both of them saddened and incensed by what most nekos had to go through on a daily basis. "McDonald's here we come. Prepare to have your mind blown, Evan."

As they walked down the street, Evan watched the three of them argue back and forth, play shoving each other once in a while. After a couple minutes, he felt comfortable enough to add his own comments here and there.

Maybe life was about to get better, Evan thought hopefully as they got closer to the fast food restaurant. He couldn't help the grin that spread across his face at the thought.


	2. Chapter 2

**Story Title:** Next, Part 2

**Story Type: **Slash, AU

**Characters: **Chris Sabin, Alex Shelley, Roderick Strong, Evan Bourne

**Pairings: **MMG, Roddy/Evvy

**Rating: **PG-13/NC-17

**Series: **Neko: Just Them, Don't Touch, I Agree, You, 5 and 1-Neko, For You, Never Again, Jump Start, Next Part 1

**Disclaimer: **Not mine; they annoyingly belong only to themselves and TNA/ROH/WWE.

**Warnings: **Slash, language, au

**A/N: **Here's another one, peeps. I hope you guys are enjoying these and also the addition of neko!Evvy. He's adorable, isn't he? And Roddy/Evvy is fast becoming one of my favorite pairings. No worries, though, there'll still be lots of MMG in here.

Evan looked at the menu uncertainly; he knew how to read, but he didn't know what he should order.

"The chicken's pretty good," Roddy murmured, smiling at him. "That's what I usually get."

Evan nodded but before he could decide, Alex and Chris started talking.

"The double cheeseburgers are good," Alex told him, his ears twitching slightly as he took a deep breath. "The french fries, too." His tail was moving lazily and for once it was easy to read the pleased expression on his face.

"You're gonna turn into a cheeseburger, fat ass," Rod told him, elbowing him gently and rolling his eyes. It was a testament to the strength of Roddy's friendship with both Chris and the neko that Alex didn't flinch away from him and just smirked and raised his eyebrow.

"I'm not the one who's getting too fat for his gear, Roddy," Alex told him, his voice serious.

Chris started snickering at the suspicious look Roddy gave Alex before he glanced down at his waist.

"Everything's fairly decent," Chris told Evan, shaking his head when Alex poked Roddy's stomach and said, "See? I told you it was getting squishy,".

"Bullshit," Rod told him. "I'm fucken stunning."

"Right," Alex drawled, his tail brushing against his master's leg briefly. "Right, and I'm still a virgin."

Unable to stop the laugh, Roddy rolled his eyes again and slung his arm around Evan's shoulders. "So, did you decide yet?"

"Well, I really like chicken," Evan offered slowly, not sure if it was the right answer.

"No problem," Chris assured him while Roddy squeezed his shoulders comfortingly. "The usual, 'Lex?"

"Yup," Alex answered, looking around the restaurant.

Chris glanced around, too, noticing it was mostly empty. "'Lex, why don't you and Evan go find a table. Roddy'll help me bring everything over."

Alex hesitated, his ears flattening slightly as his tail wrapped around Chris's leg.

"Hey, I'll keep an eye on you," Chris promised his neko, placing his hand on the back of Alex's neck. "If anyone even talks to you, I'll come right over. OK?"

Alex took a deep breath and nodded, glancing at Evan before he jerked his head toward the tables and walked away. At Roddy's nod, Evan followed after him, shooting an uncertain frown at his new owner over his shoulder.

He slid into the booth across from Alex. Alex tapped his fingers on the table, the fingers of his other hand running over his collar as he glanced over at his master and Roddy.

"Can I ask you something?" Evan asked suddenly, his own nerves starting to hum a little now that he wasn't doing anything but waiting.

"Sure," Alex said, focusing his attention on the neko across from him.

"Um, do you know Roddy very well?" Evan said, biting his lip slightly as if already regretting the question.

"Good enough," Alex answered, not so far gone that he couldn't see Evan's nerves. "I don't trust a lot of people," he went on, and after exchanging another knowing look, Alex knew he didn't have to explain why to him. "But I trust him."

"Is he, uh, really rough?" Evan asked in a rush, a slight brush tinging his cheeks. He didn't mind it himself, but he liked fair warning if someone was going to be leaving marks on him.

Alex raised an eyebrow, his mouth open to snarl at Evan, but he closed it with an almost inaudible sigh. Maybe he was getting soft, but he couldn't snap at the other neko, not about this.

"I don't know," Alex answered easily, leaning back in the booth and trying to at least look relaxed. "I've never been with him like that."

"Really?" Evan said, his surprise evident. He glanced over to where Chris and Roddy were getting their food. "They seem really close."

"They are," Alex told him, his ears twitching when he sensed someone stop by the table and stare at them but by the time Alex was actually looking at them, they had already moved on. "But my master doesn't share."

Evan caught the phrasing and nodded slowly, understanding on his face. "You're lucky; my last owner was a little more, um, 'liberal' than Chris."

"I know what you mean; I wasn't always with Chris." Alex said quietly, his jaw aching with a memory that even after eight years still had the power to haunt him.

"_You stupid little bastard," his owner hissed, giving him a kick to the ribs that made them throb as badly as his jaw already was. "If you can't behave like a good fucken toy when you're free, you'll fucken do it tied up."_

_As soon as he felt hands trying to turn him over onto his stomach, he starting swinging and kicking wildly, but not eating for three days had taken it's toll on his body and he was easily over powered; his face pushed into the pillows and his hands cuffed to the headboard._

"_Maybe that'll teach you not to fucken fight me." His owner told him disdainfully, but the hands that grabbed at his waist were too big and rough to belong to him._

"Alex! Are you OK?" Evan asked sharply, his voice worried.

Alex shook his head roughly, his hand clutching at his collar as he slowly came back to the present. Realizing he was dangerously close to hyperventilating, he forced himself to take a couple deep breaths.

"Yeah," Alex answered, his voice steady. Even after all the time he had spent with Chris, he still knew how to control his voice so that there was no give away to what he was feeling. "Yeah, I'm fine."

He forced himself let go of his collar and rest his hand on the table. Evan narrowed his eyes but before he could say anything, two trays thumped down onto the table and Roddy slid in next to Evan, grinning.

"Here you go, Ev," Roddy told him before noticing the way Evan was staring at Alex. "Is everything alright, guys?"

"Of course, it is," Evan said, deciding to go along with Alex pretending everything was OK. He turned to Roddy and smiled at him, trying to put him at ease.

Despite appearances, Rod wasn't any where near as stupid as people usually thought he was, but after he flicked a glance at Chris, he decided to go along with it. Whatever had happened, he knew Chris would take care of it later.

"Here, 'Lex," Chris said quietly, taking his food off of the tray and moving the tray in front of his neko. He pressed his leg against Alex's in a silent question.

Alex glanced at Chris and smiled a little. Truthfully, just feeling his master's leg pressed against him was enough to remind him that he wasn't alone any more. He nodded at Chris and unwrapped his burger.

Satisfied, Chris nodded as well before turning back to their friends. He stole a handful of Alex's fries, laughing when the neko elbowed him and muttered, "Get your own."

Roddy laughed as well, nudging Evan and pointing to the tray he had put in front of him. "Go on, that's for you."

Evan looked down and gaped. "All of it? Really?" There seemed, to him, a huge amount of food, plus a drink, on the plastic tray. "I don't think I've ever..." He trailed off, flushing a little when he realized what he had started to say.

Roddy narrowed his eyes, but all he said was, "Go ahead, dig in. It always tastes better when someone else pays for it."

Chris scoffed and tossed a straw at his head. "Shut up, dumb ass. I'm gonna take it out on your face in the ring next month, so don't go thinking it's free."

"What? Like your mom is?" Roddy asked, smirking at his friend.

Evan choked on a fry, obviously shocked over what Roddy said. Chris just raised an eyebrow at him and said, "More like your mom's face."

Relaxing, Evan listened to them bicker back and forth before they started eating. He glanced at Alex, relieved when the other neko seemed calmer.

Evan couldn't help smiling again; he felt happy and relaxed for the first time in months. Hopefully, this was the beginning of something good, and not something he'd regret.


End file.
